Experience Sound, the first event in the Science Center’s new Up Late series, truly rocked! Alongside partners from around the St. Louis region showing off their audio prowess, the Science Center explored the science of sound with over 1,100 people at this sold-out debut.
Featuring everything from quantum disco dancing and high-tech home stereo to a flame-filled demonstration of sound waves at Energy Stage (plus, the classic tin can telephone…just stretched from Dino Overlook to the Life Science Lab Atrium), the night welcomed a packed house for an ensemble only the Science Center could pull together.
Building on the popularity of the Science Center’s previous First Friday programs, the Up Late series provides a fun, new way for grown-ups to explore STEM and shows that there’s no age limit to learning.
“At the Saint Louis Science Center, we believe that science and STEM opportunities are for everyone,” says Neville Crenshaw, Associate Director of Special Projects at the Science Center. “With one-of-a-kind experiences and a deep dive into STEM themes, along with the hundreds of hands-on activities available across the Science Center’s ten galleries, the Up Late programs offer a fun way for adult guests to find their place in science.”
During the evening, activities and hands-on interactives brought sound to life in unexpected ways, while iconic Science Center spaces like the OMNIMAX® Theater and McDonnell Planetarium transformed to provide unique audio experiences.
At the OMNIMAX, guests immersed themselves with the venue’s impressive speaker array. Inside, artist Alyssa Miserendino presented her piece, Oropendola, which shares sounds derived from field recordings of the oropendola bird’s call. Adapted for spatialized, 3D audio and presented in total darkness, the piece demonstrated the theater’s atmospheric audio capabilities and provided an unforgettable way to truly experience sound.
In the McDonnell Planetarium’s Orthwein Star Bay, attendees enjoyed an audio bar inspired by the Japanese “jazz kissa”—bars and cafes specializing in the playing and appreciation of recorded music. There, they had the chance to grab a drink, sit down, and enjoy high-end audio equipment from The Sound Room.
Anyone looking to get amped up could take part in a Quantum Disco. A STEM-tinged play on the “silent disco”, this experience saw attendees put on headphones to choose from different genres of music playing simultaneously, then dance the night away under the watchful eye of the Science Center’s iconic T. rex.
Of course, throughout the Science Center campus, activities invited attendees to explore sound in new ways.
Options included a Chladni plate, where guests could watch sound form sand into stunning patterns; a laser oscilloscope where they could see (and feel) music as they projected their own laser light show; and an orchestra of improvised instruments using unexpected items like a plastic bag filled with keys.
Experience Sound also allowed the Science Center to collaborate with more than 15 local organizations to showcase how science is everywhere and for everyone.
Local nonprofit MindsEye, which serves those who are blind or visually impaired by translating visual experiences into audio, was on site to engage guests with a game of “Beep Ball” (or “Beep Baseball”).
Learning how to “see” with only their ears, attendees practiced being guided by the sounds of beeping balls, buzzing bases, and cues from the pitcher to experience how the duet of sound and technology can make experiences like sports more accessible.
Along the Structures gallery, an exhibition of “Sound in Pictures” in collaboration with the Missouri History Museum amplified St. Louis’ rich music history, highlighting historical music venues and performances from the History Museum’s Collections.
Steampunk Brew Works was on site to debut “STEMPUNK Lager”, a Japanese-style rice lager. This one-of-a-kind beer is the result of a unique collaboration between the brewery and the Science Center, which helped shape the concept and flavor profile to harmonize with the evening’s sound theme.
Elsewhere throughout the campus, food and drink specials echoed that theme with options like a “Sonic Boom” margarita and a Pop Rock Crunch Flatbread.
Attendees at Up Late also got a sample of another Science Center experience coming soon for grown-ups.
In the Loft, the event previewed the upcoming Two Scientists Walk into a Bar series, where STEM professionals from the region shared a drink with guests eager to ask questions about everything from neuroscience to mechanical engineering or even science-fiction. Throughout the night, attendees had opportunities to speak with professionals including mechanical and biomedical engineers, ecologists, biologists, and more.
The resounding success of our first-ever Science Center Up Late proves that in STEM, there’s no age cutoff for curiosity, and learning never stops. Sometimes it just gets more fun after hours.
Thank you to everyone who helped make the event a success, and don’t miss out on our next Science Center Up Late this October!
Pictures by Tyler Small/
